Unraveled

SYLVIA

You promised a shoulder to cry on,
To share a jacket when it was cold,
To soothe my aching heart,

But you weren't there.
You weren't there when I cried to my heart's content,
Weren't there when I lay on the road
shivering,
Weren't there to wipe my tears and say everything would be alright...

Why weren't you?
.....

"Amara, get your boyfriend. He's being an asshole again!" Silvia called.

"Nothing I can do about it!" Amara sighed, walking over to her.  She glanced at Erick, who was teasing the juniors again, holding the ball just above their reach.

"What provoked him this time?" She asked.

"One of the girls called him short." Sylvia replied, deadpan.

"Sounds about right," Amara groaned.

"I don't get how he's got such a big ego and still can't handle the truth. And seriously? He's bullying  fourth graders? What nineteen year old picks on kids?!"  Sylvia exclaimed.

"Apparently, my boyfriend. I don't know what goes through his head!" replied Amara

"That's the problem, he doesn't think." Sylvia shot back. "Why don't you go stop him like you always do?"

"It's complicated, we had a fight."

Sylvia let out a long exasperated sigh, "fine, if you aren't going to, I will."

With that, she marched towards Erick and the kids, who were now frantically trying to rescue their friend. Erick had a kid in one arm and the ball in the other, his muscles bulging. She couldn't deny he was strong—like a short gorilla.

"Hey, dim-wit!" Sylvia shouted.

"What?!" He asked, glaring at her.

"Let the girl go." She demanded barely containing her anger. Amara's voice called for her to wait, but Sylvia ignored it.

"You think you can order me around?" Erick sneered, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Sylvia couldn't stand to look at his smug, pug-like face anymore. "Let. The. Girl. Go," she repeated, louder this time.

He chuckled, "You're so dramatic." He said dropping the kid and the basket ball.
Without thinking, Sylvia lunged forward, fist clenched. She punched him in the gut, but only felt solid muscle.

She slowly looked up, letting out a nervous chuckle.
This was a terrible idea she realised, before his large fist connected with her face, the crack echoing in her ears.
....

"Wait, let me get this straight, you got into a fight on the first day of school over some itty-bitty kids?" Asked Oliver, unable to contain his laughter looking at her disheveled state.

"Yes, Oliver, I did." Sylvia snapped, wincing from the pain. "Now are there anymore burning questions in your mind or can we go to the hospital?" She said, sounding slightly irritated.

He muttered something about her being a buzzkill but started the car nonetheless.

Sylvia knew she shouldn't be mad at him, after all he did pick her up. But she was in agony and he was laughing.

The drive was mercifully short. The hospital was only 5 minutes away, everything in Ravenbrook was at a convenient distance, thankfully.

Oliver leapt out of the car as soon as they arrived,  ushering Silvia inside.

"Who did it?" He whispered, as they entered, keeping his voice low in the quiet halls.

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"Who broke your nose?" He repeated gesturing to her face.

Sylvia laughed uneasily, averting his gaze. Sylvia didn't know what he'd do with the information, which scared her. Oliver was unpredictable.
He tilted her chin forcing her to look back at him, his eyes imploring for an answer, his usual mischievous look gone.
It was clear he wasn't going to let it go.

"Erick" she muttered, giving in.

For a split second she thought she saw dark look cross his face, but then he was laughing again, his usual teasing self.

"That idiot?" He chuckled, amused. "You let him get the best of you?"

She rolled her eyes in feigned annoyance, "Shut up Oliver".
...
As they left the hospital, Oliver's laugh echoed in Sylvia's ears, a sharp contrast to the throbbing pain in her nose. The doctor assured her it was a minor fracture and a cold compression would do—an Advil in case of unbearable pain.
But the whole incident was a mark of shame.

"Let's stop by the convenience store. You need like...ice cream or something to ease the pain" Oliver said breaking her thoughts.

"Sure, that's totally the cure for a broken nose" she replied dryly, but a small smile crept onto her face despite herself.
Oliver was nice, even if he was an insufferable moron. He had his moments—This probably wasn't one of them.
Right when they got into the car, he received a call from his dad. He had to meet his dad regarding an urgent matter.

"I"m really sorry, Sylvie. I can drop you off at the convenience store if you'd like?" He offered.

"No, that's alright" she replied. It wasn't his fault, being the son of a mayor had its disadvantages.
"Can you drop me home?"
...

"You sure you'll be alright?" Oliver asked her, a hint of concern on his face.
She gave a reassuring nod in reply.
"Call me if you need anything" he said and drove off.

As Sylvia was about to head back home to her apartment, she saw an unfamiliar figure lingering near the security cabin.
He turned when he noticed Sylvia looking at him.
He was tall, around 6 feet, with a lean but muscular build and a mop of hair that frequently fell over his eyes. His glasses rested low on the bridge of his nose.
He looked confused, lost.

"Are you looking for something?" Sylvia asked.

"Uh...No"  he replied., glancing around.

Sylvia gave a small smile and was about turn away when he called her.

"Um...do you know the way to the convenience store?"